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Sunday, 20 April 2014

Easter Pyjamas

Hello there!

Apologies for the lack of posting recently - I've been a bit of a projects half done (or PhD) girl recently, but I seem to be finally getting them finished, now that I am finding a little bit of time to sit in my craft room. So, fingers crossed, a few posts will be coming your way over the next few days/weeks.

For a start, I have today's post, a project o Doris, which just needs hemming and a project cut out ready to sew, hopefully, tomorrow, depending what time I get up, as I just don't seem to be able to get enough sleep at the moment - it doesn't matter how much I do sleep. I don't know what's causing it, as I'm not due a B12 injection until the end of June, my iron levels were fine last time I went to the docs and I have some folic acid tablets for an extra energy boost - I swear I rattle these days I have that many tablets to take. Never mind though, as long as they keep me healthy(ish), and they keep me able to sew, I am happy.

Anyway, first up is a project (well, two) that I have been working on for the last couple of weeks.

As I have explained in a previous post, instead of the nieces having Easter eggs, they get pyjamas from me.

This year, I bought some liquorice allsorts fabric in pink and purple (the eldest will not entertain pink) and decided to make some shortie pyjamas for them using the pattern I used to make their Christmas pyjamas. I ordered 1.5 metres of each fabric thinking that would be enough as the long pyjamas used 2 metres each. Oh, how wrong I was (just for a change).

I cut the youngest's pyjamas out first in the pale pink. I managed to cut everything but the sleeves, as I only had enough fabric for one sleeve. After making up the pyjamas I realise that I could have cut the bottoms a lot shorter, but never mind, I like the finished product.

After considering various options to deal with the lack of sleeves (including leaving them sleeveless), I found some scraps of pink broiderie anglais in my stash, which I thought would be perfect, and there was even enough of that fabric to edge the bottom of the bottoms, to tie everything in, rather than the top looking a little odd with different sleeves.

Other than this, the pyjamas were pretty simple to make - I am now at the point where I don't need to follow the instructions on this ones, I seem to make them a lot (and I have another set to make in the next couple of weeks too). I even managed the collar without having to unpick and re-sew a gazillion times. Stress levels were really at an all-time low with this project. I only made ont booboos and they weren't horrendous - I was just trying to be organised and neatening the edges were I could before sewing the facings on, but I sewed the wrong edge. It was only a case of unpicking and resewing the correct edge, so no biggy. I also nearly managed to break the sewing machine on the first button hole, as the bobbin became all caught up and a jam occurred. It was just time consuming having to remove all the many bits of thread.

I took her the pyjamas today, but she was far too busy playing with her friends for me to get a reaction from her as to whether or not she liked them. I'm sure she'll tell me in her own good time.

The other niece, however, loved her pyjamas. I went for a slightly different style, as she is a bit older, so likes a bit more grown-up style these days, and after realising I didn't have enough fabric for the youngest's pyjamas, I knew there was no way I would have enough for the eldest's.

So, I cut her some three-quarter pants from the purple fabric (I love this colour). I then tottered off down to Asda to buy her a t-shirt (life's too short to make t-shirts when you can buy them for a couple of pounds). I couldn't get her a single t-shirt, so had to get a pack of two (one white, one black). I then went to Hobbycraft and got some fabric paint.

On each t-shirt I wrote a phrase with the fabric paint, which handily has a narrow nozzle perfect for writing with.

To explain the slogans on the t-shirts - Georgia, the eldest niece, has the same weird sense of humour as me and has recently developed my 'talent' to have a conversation entirely in film quotes. Confuses the hell out of the rest of the family when we are together, but we both find it highly amusing.

The favourite mutual film of the moment is The Princess Diaries and Princess Diaries 2. If you have seen these, you will understand the 'very cute moose'. If you haven't, I can't explain it - go watch the films.

The other slogan is actually a phrase I have been teaching Georgia. This is from the film Along Came Polly, which she has not seen and will not be watching for a few years as it is a 15 and she is only 9. Again, watch the film and you will understand.

Anyway, she definitely liked the t-shirts as she immediately changed into the black t-shirt when I got to their house this afternoon and declared that she would be wearing the other t-shirt, with the PJ bottoms tonight.

Right, it is now nearly midnight here in the UK, so I am going to get some sleep so I can get on with my other PhDs tomorrow.

About Me

Hello, my name is Holly and I live in Yorkshire, UK, where it generally rains and does not much else, but that gives me plenty of time to sit indoors and craft. I have been making cards for about a year now and I soon moved onto sewing and trying other crafts too.

It started as something to keep me occupied while the hubby (or fiance as he was at the time) watched football (soccer to anyone in the US) and it became a bit of an obsession, so much so that my spare room is now my sewing studio and I no longer have to sit at the kitchen table.

My other hobbies include tap dancing, following MotoGP and reading. I am also studying with the Open University for my history degree and am in my final year.

I sometimes wonder how I find time to do all this, and see my friends, as by day I work for a solicitors' firm in Leeds.

You can contact me using the contact form below or at fairy[dash]elephants[at]